Hip Hop Vibe's Comeback of the Year: Kanye West

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Last year, Kanye West dug himself a pretty deep hole when he took the mic from Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. It was something unexpected even from the controversial rapper. Many people were turned off from Kanye West because of his immature actions. Even the president referred to West as a "jackass."

Following Kanye West's VMA outburst, the media made him into a scapegoat. With all of the negative energy surrounding him, Kanye took some time off. He did not simply go back home to Chicago, he instead went overseas. When Kanye West did return to America, he spent time in Hawaii.

Initially, Kanye West had plans of putting an album out in 2009, but those plans were obviously halted. Instead, he began working on an album for 2010 to be released. The only problem with Kanye working on new music was the fact that his fan base was shattered. After the release of Graduation, West had built a major fan base outside of hip hop that was no longer there.

With comeback on his mind, Kanye West recorded with all of the top artists in the game. He had a popular guest feature on Rick Ross' "Live Fast, Die Young" off the Teflon Don album. During his verse on the song, the Chicago rapper spoke on his struggles. Lines such as "at least he still poppin' in Japan" stick out on the record. Kanye West would release "Power" later on in the summer and take more jabs at the people who put him down. The video received major attention because it was only one minute long.

Despite an album not being out, Kanye West had the attention of the world again and he released his second single, "Runaway." On the heels of the successful single, Kanye West released another smash, "Monster," which features Jay-Z, Rick Ross, and Nicki Minaj. "Monster" became the posse cut of 2010, much like the hit, "Forever," in 2009 and "Swagga Like Us" in 2008. Ironically, all of those singles featured a verse from Kanye West.

The year of 2010 could have been the year when the people finally forgot about Kanye West. Instead, 2010 was the year when Kanye West proved he could still take over the game if he wanted to. Most of the focus on a comeback was on T.I., but Kanye West ended up stealing the show. Despite waiting until late in the year to release music, Kanye West could have almost been 2010's Artist of the Year, a closely contested battle between Eminem and Rick Ross.